Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"Can we just let Master's revenge go?"

"No!" Bai Xiqiao nearly smashed another teacup in his haste, spilling half the tea everywhere. It seemed to have woken him up. After a moment's pause, he continued, "Xiao'er, if you still consider me your senior brother, you shouldn't act so impulsively and take such risks. Tang Ling isn't someone you can be friendly with. You're courting disaster. You might end up getting yourself into trouble before you even find out the truth."

Qi Xiao stood up, took the teacup that was about to be crushed by Bai Xiqiao, refilled his tea, and gently put it down: "Brother, do I look like an impulsive person?"

Bai Xiqiao looked at Qi Xiao, staring at him for a long time, and then asked doubtfully, "What do you want to do?"

Qi Xiao laughed: "I want to... be a fool."

"Huh?" Bai Xiqiao didn't understand and turned to look at Zong Sheng. "What do you mean?"

Zong Sheng shook his head slightly. Bai Xiqiao should ask Qi Xiao about this. How would he know if he asked him?

"What do you mean?"

"Brother, everyone knows that Tang Ling is the Crown Prince of Zhou. Keeping a distance and drawing a clear line between us is the best policy. If I openly befriend Tang Ling, I'd be a fool, right?"

"Wait wait wait... after all this talk, you're still going to get yourself into trouble?"

Qi Xiao pushed the teacup on the table towards Bai Xiqiao and said, "Have some tea."

"Explain yourself first!"

"Ever since Tang Ling entered our Great Chen, I've already happened to save him twice. The Tiance and Xuanji Battalions are omnipresent and pervasive. Your Majesty couldn't possibly be unaware of what happened along the way. Even if he didn't know before, he should have checked it out by now. If I deliberately avoided Tang Ling, what would others think? What would Your Majesty think?"

"This..." Bai Xiqiao thought carefully. Qi Xiao not only saved Tang Ling, but also let Tang Ling recuperate at the Prince of Chu's Mansion. Even their return to Yuanjing was due to Tang Ling's influence. To say that Qi Xiao and Tang Ling were completely unfamiliar with each other was hard to believe and seemed to be concealing something. "Did he think you were timid and wanted to protect yourself?"

"What if I didn't avoid her and even got very close to Tang Ling?"

"Either you're crazy or you're stupid."

Qi Xiao nodded: "That's right."

Bai Xiqiao shook his head: "I still don't understand."

"Brother, Yuanjing is not like Fuzhou Prefecture. How can I learn to act arrogantly and domineeringly like Zhao Yi? I can't always hide in the guild hall here. I have to do what I need to do. I have Tang Ling to cover for me, isn't that good?"

Bai Xiqiao seemed to understand a little. After a long pause, he finally said, "You're saying that borrowing the Xingluo Guards from Tang Ling was just a feint. Whether or not the Xingluo Guards can find out is irrelevant. You want to show closeness to Tang Ling and use her as a disguise." Thus, Qi Xiao's appearance at Wanqinzhai last night was explained: he had followed Tang Ling there. The question then became not why Qi Xiao had gone there, and whether it was related to Lu Fangjin, but why Tang Ling had gone there in the first place.

Qi Xiao raised the corner of his mouth and nodded gently: "If Xingluowei can find something useful, that would be the best."

"But...but this isn't right. Your closeness to Tang Ling will always arouse suspicion. What kind of crime is treason? Are you going to die?"

"I'm collaborating with the enemy? I, the King of Chu, Qi Xiao, the Ninth Prince, whom Your Majesty doesn't even remember. I have no influence in the court, and my mother is not only out of favor but also seriously ill. Even if I want to collude with the Zhou Kingdom, they have to respect me, right?"

Bai Xiqiao was stunned. Indeed, Qi Xiao had no real power to compete for the throne. In the eyes of others, Qi Xiao was just an idle prince with a false title, unable to pull off any tricks in Yuanjing. Meanwhile, Tang Ling was a legendary genius, and a hostage. He could barely protect himself in Yuanjing, so how could she possibly conspire with Qi Xiao? Even if they did, what could they possibly be plotting? This was ridiculous.

"So, brother, don't worry."

***

Yuan Capital, East Market, Qinxin Tea House.

"Cao Weishan, a Jinshi in the 12th year of the Tianhua reign, was born into the Cao family of Liu'an Prefecture. They had been a prominent family in the Jin State for a hundred years. At the beginning of the Chen State, the Cao family produced a famous prime minister, Cao Ji. However, Cao Ji was very powerful, and to avoid the taboo of the Chen Emperor, Cao Ji did not allow the Cao family's children to enter the government. Although the Cao family produced many great writers and painters, they did not produce any powerful officials for decades. That was until Cao Weishan's father, Cao Zan, was invited to the court to serve as a scholar in the Hongwen Academy because of his great knowledge."

In the teahouse's private room, Huang Zexian told Tang Ling everything he had found out. Tang Ling said she wanted to investigate Cao Weishan, and Xingluowei had even thoroughly investigated Cao Weishan's ancestors.

"Cao Weishan's career in the officialdom over a decade ago wasn't entirely smooth sailing. He progressed from a clerk in Jingzhou to a clerk in the Ministry of Justice in just four years, but his advancement stagnated after he arrived there. Cao Weishan was tactful and meticulous, so he had many opportunities for advancement. However, the Cao family's precepts strictly forbade clansmen from forming factions. Cao Weishan refused to align himself with Empress Qin, nor did he bow to the Gongsun clan. Therefore, after arriving in the capital, he was never given a high position. He spent seven years in the Ministry of Justice, and only took over as the prefect of the Capital Protectorate three years ago."

Tang Ling held a dish of tea leaves, sniffed the fragrance, put it down and switched to another dish next to it, and listened quietly to Huang Zexian's detailed account of what he had found out.

Huang Zexian frowned slightly, puzzled. "When Bai Liu died, Cao Weishan had just been promoted to Chief of the Ministry of Justice, a mere sixth rank. Furthermore, Cao Zan had retired a year before Bai Liu's death. There's really no evidence that Cao Weishan, the Cao family, had anything to do with Bai Liu's death. Furthermore, Bai Liu was stationed at Fenglin Mountain for many years before his death, and had few opportunities to return to Yuanjing. He had absolutely no connection to the Cao family. Why would the King of Chu investigate these two?"

The Xingluo Guards investigated almost every detail of Cao Weishan and Bai Liu's life, but even so, they could not find anything related to Bai Liu.

"Perhaps they have nothing to do with each other in the first place." Tang Ling was selecting tea from a row of saucers on the table, calm and composed, without a trace of surprise. "Qi Xiao asked me to investigate these two people at the same time just to test the capabilities of the Xingluo Guard."

"So, Master, what you're saying is that he doesn't really want to know the truth behind Bai Liu's death? And he doesn't care about Cao Weishan?"

"We don't have to guess about this. Qi Xiao will tell us himself."

"He'll tell us himself? Will he?"

Tang Ling's eyes were filled with a smile, as gentle as a breeze that would dissipate in an instant. He was not in a hurry to explain anything to Huang Zexian, as if he was waiting for something.

Huang Zexian sat opposite Tang Ling and watched Tang Ling pick tea leaves. She chose Qiguo green tea from among many teas to brew. The hot water gave off bursts of tea fragrance, and a sense of tranquility and peace spread in the elegant room, gradually covering up the doubts in Huang Zexian's heart.

Tang Ling pushed the teacup in front of Huang Zexian and said, "Try it."

Huang Zexian took a sip. The tea had a sweet, delicate aroma; it was a fine tea. Qi was a land of mountains and forests, and tea was a major specialty. The border between Qi and Zhou was flat, with no dangerous peaks or forests, and no rivers separating them. Trade between the two countries naturally flourished, and tea from Qi was readily available in Zhou. The Zhou royal family received Qi tea as a state gift every year. The oolong tea from Qinxin Tea House was still slightly inferior to the Qi state gifts.

"How does it compare to the ones in the same guild hall?"

Huang Zexian shook his head: "The tea in the same guild hall is all Chen Kingdom tribute tea, so it is naturally better."

"Compared to the state banquet of Chen State?"

When Huang Zexian first arrived in the State of Chen, the Emperor of Chen held a grand banquet to welcome him. Huang Zexian was repeatedly toasted, drinking cup after cup, though he never had a chance to drink the tea that was at hand. When Tang Ling suddenly asked about this, she was taken aback and shook her head slightly.

"I just asked casually." Tang Ling smiled. "The tea is good."